so ive left this a little longer than i was expecting but i was true to my word and are going to give my overall review after 2-3 months that i have had the HE-400s. Again this isnt going to be of much importance to alot of you but this is more of a follow up for those who are looking at buying the same set.

HE-400

Comfort

ALOT more comfortable than what I was expecting. Upon reading other reviews i was expecting something horrible but even coming from the sennheiser 555's, they aren't actually all that bad. It is costly on your head after a while, there is a squashing sensation over around a 4-5 hour period, but even then they are still tolerable. I purchased the velour pads which definitely helped the sweating issue. The main issue in terms of comfort would be the weight. They are fairly heavy, and the support band isn't exactly built for comfort so you ARE going to feel these things on your head after a period of time. After 4-5 hours of use i tend to feel my neck getting a bit sore

Score:7/10

Treble

This wasnt my main focul point but it happens to be one of the cans strongest points. Upon testing different frequencies and adjusting to my liking i realised how good these really are. Everything and i mean EVERYTHING is crystal clear, if there is no distortion due to a badly ripped song, you are going to be liking what you hear. I am a realest, i know im a realest and my friends know im a realest. I went to a friends place who is experienced in the audio/dj industry went through the process of asking him to tell me what he thinks TRUTHFULLY about these headphones. I gave them to him, he adjusted the settings to his liking and the result was a response that was along the lines of "man, these are ******* good headphones". We both listened to Pearl Jam, Jimmy Hendrix, Daft Punk and a few other artists and couldn't pick a fault with the treble.

Score:10/10

Bass

Oh heres the big one. Its fast, its punchy, its crisp, its just not.... abundant. Its not endless. Its a $420, heavy set without an abundance of bass, I REALLY wanted to just crank disgustingly badly made RNB song and just sink in the chair from gravity as well as sheer force GRINDING me down into the chair, but it wasn't to be. I have to admit my heart sank when I heard the distortion for the first time, especially looking at the frequency levels. BUT, this might sound like a "you're just convincing yourself" story but what i have is still VERY good. Ive found that the music that it distorts to was not only from my college years of gangster/clubbing phases, but the songs were also very poorly made with exaggerated bass, and to accomodate for those songs, would only be $200 extra on the headphones, plus another $200 on a decent amp. The times that i really appreciate the bass is in songs like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=y2kEx5BLoC4#t=30s. Ive linked that song at a point where theres a drum beat that leads up to vocals, im not even that much of a fan of that song but i LOVE that part and it sounds oh so sweet with these cans, i recommend not using youtube though, very poor quality. I always wanted to buy a set than i could imagine the sticks bouncing off drum with every hit and being captivated by solos. The HE-400's deliver that.

Score:8/10

Overall : 8.3/10

Before i give my overall summary, I just wanted to add another point. Now, i know this isnt exactly the direction that this community goes towards, but I am a gamer, and have been a gamer for around 10-12 years now. In playing games, ive come to appreciate the direction in which the sound hits your ear. The senheisers were definitely alot smaller and felt as if the direction of the sound was very restricted, where as HE-400's utilise that real estate and have sounds popping out from every direction. Ive realised that i can pin point, with ease, where people are (fps games), and during songs you can visualise where the sound is coming from, and therefore gather the importance of that part of the song in regards to how loud it is and in what position the sound is coming from.

Im going off track and I will just sum everything up by saying these are a very good set. I was offered to buy a second hand set of Denon 2ks from another site, and realised that I was quite happy with what I had. In looking back at that i realised that was a true test to see if I actually wanted to change, and the truth is i dont.

If i was to do something different, it would be to go out there and test EVERYTHING, these cans were a curve ball. I wanted something, got something a little off what i was expecting, but love every bit about it. Test different cans, keep researching, i know its endless, but its alot of money. Youve read my review now, i feel as though ive given you a very good understanding of how i feel about them and what to expect, if you like the sound of them, go out there and give them a try... somehow? i know, easier said than done. But thats me, THANKYOU GUYS!

wow this thread went for a while. After how ever long its been i think i should buy some e17's just to give an absolute finish to my opinion on these cans. Does anyone know where i could buy them for a cheap price in sydney australia?

I would also not recommend portable amp/dac for headphones that obviously won't be on-the-go. You can get more value for your $$$ w/ a desktop rig. For $200, Schiit Magni + Modi should be solid. I wouldn't personally spend anymore than that. For on-the-budget, Hifimediy sabre & stoner acoustic UD 110v2 are great DACs (under $60) & you can pair it up w/ a coolio cheap tube amp like Bravo Ocean (or V2/V3) or Garage 1217 project starlight for kicks & giggles. Tube amps ftw =P